Getting things done with (or without) Twitter

Why use Twitter to get things done? Twitter isn’t necessarily the best platform for getting things done … but if you’re already using it a lot, it might be easier or faster for you to do things while still in Twitter.

When it comes to Twitter, there’s a divide: some people love it, and some see it as a waste of time.

I’ve been using Twitter for a couple of months now (my feed is here if you want to follow me). I keep my updates private, but I approve people as followers as long as they’re not spam-like or trying to sell something like porn.

Often, it’s entertaining (it helps to follow interesting people with something worthwhile to say). Sometimes, it’s useful. The Times Union uses its accounts to Tweet about snow-related school closings, traffic delays, the arts and more. I used mine to Tweet updates during the Times Union’s recent Web site outage. I’ve also found news that I wouldn’t have caught elsewhere. Yesterday, someone I follow noted that a popular local band had changed its name. I told a fellow reporter who’d just written a story about them, and she quickly followed up with a blog post.

Other times, it feels like yet another form of virtual clutter. I’ve stopped following people who Tweet constantly or are too self-promotional (I’ve also lost some followers, likely for the same reason). The constant stream of information also can be a distraction.

One wag I know noted that Twitter could be useful “if you’re seeking to build a loyal following of disturbed stalkers.”

3 Responses

I absolutely love twitter. Twitter is a great tool for me because part of my job includes monitoring the news. Now I spend less time checking various web sites and have scaled down my RSS Reader. But now I have to deal with my Twitter addiction.

Maybe this is generational, but I can’t relate to Twitter at all. It’s bad enough the time I waste on email, the internet, and just a couple of blogs. For me it would come down to whether I want to actually do real stuff, or twitter my life away. Also, I don’t want a lot of “friends” and followers knowing about my life on a micro level.

Now I must wrestle myself away from this siren computer and go snowshoeing with my dog, or clean the kitchen, or something else in the real world.